


Sage and Lotus

by kirbylovesyou



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:21:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24902260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirbylovesyou/pseuds/kirbylovesyou
Summary: Their backstory i guess





	Sage and Lotus

**Author's Note:**

> i didnt proofread as much as i should so take this as it is

It all started when the fire nation attacked.

That phrase has been said over and over again, over a long, exhausting period of time. A phrase that brings fear, rage, and pain to oneself. The Fire Nation are ruthless and violent, they will not stop their spread of destruction. One unfortunate village of the earthbending nation experienced their malicious wrath and endured endless amounts of suffering.

On that day, two siblings lost everything.

Flames erupted, burning down buildings and tearing families apart. One by one, the soldiers took away people at every house, every last earthbender, leaving no one behind. The men tried their very best to fight back but to no avail. More and more fire was spreading like a disease, infecting everyone in its path. Some people have died, their bodies burnt to ashes. Yet none of the soldiers felt pity. None felt guilty. None felt the need to stop and think that what they are doing is wrong. These people have no heart, no soul.

It was only by pure luck that the two siblings managed to escape the madness that set foot in their village. Thanks to their family, they fled the scene undetected by the fire nation scum. It was all at a cost, as it always had to be, the cost that they had to abandon their only home and people. It broke their hearts. It took everything in them not to stay and help fight back. Yet here they were now, running for their lives at the vulnerable age of ten, finding a way out of this mess. Further and further they went, deeper into the woods surrounding their small village where the flames somehow did not reach. The little girl had tears streaming down her face, her vision was cloudy and her heart was heavy. The older brother cried silently, his face showed an array of emotions. For such a young boy he had no idea what to feel at that exact moment, it was far too much for his small shoulders to bear, it was as if the weight of this world came crashing down on to him.

He had to take care of his sister all on his own now. Even moreso now that she lost her hearing.

It was all because of the cannons that the soldiers were using. The poor girl was right by the large weapon as it released its first shot, the booming noise made her eardrums burst and she no longer could hear the yelling and screaming of her people. A traumatic event, for her and her brother. He could not forgive himself for letting her out of his sight for just one second.

Now, the twins have finally come to a stop, their legs couldn’t handle moving an inch more. They were far from their burning village, and this knowledge pained them to no end. Where would they go now that they lost everything? Who would take two kids in and help them? How was the girl going to communicate from now on? Too many questions swarmed their little minds. The two just laid there on the ground, panting at how hard they had to run from all the danger. The pure fatigue instantly knocked them out and they slept for who knows how long.

Thankfully, throughout the night, none of the fire nation soldiers ventured out into the woods to see them. This story would have ended here otherwise, but due to a twist of fate, they were both found by a traveller who so happened to be an earthbender like them. He was a tall, strong man with an icy glare, but at the sight of these two frail kids his eyes immediately softened. They were beat up badly and were filthy. The scent of smoke wafting in the air let him know exactly what had happened to them. Without a second thought he picked them up and brought them back to his home. It was not a tiring trip for him since he was well built for it.

Upon arriving at his humble abode, he carefully laid the children down onto his bed, letting them continue to rest as much as they needed. He left the door to his room open in case they woke up early and wanted to explore. The man returned to his original plan for that day which was to travel to the nearest village to buy some fruit and vegetables, maybe score some meat if they restocked. Cooking up a warm, homemade meal for the kids would be a nice thing for them to wake up to after all, so he needed to be quick. Before he left however, he left a note where they might see it so they know they were in safe hands.

Once the man had left his home, the kids slept peacefully for a few more hours before finally waking up. They yawned simultaneously, perhaps it was a twin thing, and didn’t register that they were in an entirely different place than before. The brother then snapped back to reality and stumbled out of the bed he woke up in, almost falling flat on his face. He looked around in a panic, thinking that he was for sure kidnapped by fire nation soldiers. It wasn’t until a gentle tap from his sister did he see that she was holding up a note and was pointing at it.

“ _To the kiddos who I hope reads this first before freaking out; Don’t panic. You are safe here. I took you to my home since you both looked exhausted and dirty. There’s a few treats in the cupboards but I’ll be back soon to cook a much more delicious meal. Feel free to explore as well, but don’t wander too far outside. - Toma”_

Toma. So that was his name. Their savior. The boy promised to remember this man for a long, long time, and to thank him for taking them in. The girl wept with happiness, clinging onto her brother, so grateful that they could live to see another day. He hugged back just as tightly. They were going to survive.

* * *

Five years have passed since then. The brother, named Sage, and his sister Lotus have grown so much despite still being teenagers. The trauma they went through certainly played a part, but it didn’t entirely get rid of their childlike personalities. Sage was still a goofball and Lotus remained a sweet and innocent girl. Her hearing was still gone, of course, but they were lucky that Toma knew sign language and so he taught her after learning this fact. Where he learnt this way of communication is a mystery to them, this man would not reveal a lick of his past at all. Despite this, they still viewed him as a father figure and trusted him very much. Toma himself saw them as his own children, and would not hesitate to fight to protect them.

They were meant to live happily ever after, but that never happened, of course.

Fire nation soldiers found his home. They tried to burn it down without a second thought, but Toma was quicker. He used his bending to create a barrier of stone above his house and protected himself with the kids at his side. Both Sage and Lotus have learnt so much from this man and actually stood a chance against these soldiers. It could be due to them sending in a weaker batch to get rid of his home, but that didn’t matter, fire nation were still fire nation. It does not make a difference if one were stronger than the other. The siblings wanted to get revenge either way.

It was a bit difficult since this was their first real battle against soldiers but the two dealt with it well. The rocks scared off the cowards, eartbending could get dangerous after all, and Lotus was not afraid to break some bones. Slowly but surely they all eventually dispersed, some even running away, and they all thought they won this fight.

Of course they didn’t.

A larger group could be heard marching their way in. The thundering sound of their feet against the earth made Toma feel fear for the first time in his life. He yelled at the twins to run far, far away and to never look back. He could not lose them, not like how he lost everyone else, not again. That was his fear. He did not want them to die by his hands.

The twins of course argued back, saying that they never wanted to abandon their loved ones again. But he insisted they

“ _This is not a fight you can win!_ ”

And with that, Toma forced them out through the back door, barricading it with his earthbending. The twins tried to pry it off but failed, not even their bending could break it, he was on a far higher level than them. Sage broke down and cried, banging his fists against the wall created to separate them, while Lotus could only look at him with utter grief. They failed again. They failed to help someone they cared so much about. First, it was their family and village, and now Toma.

They ran away and only looked back once.

* * *

Three years have gone by. Sage and Lotus have not settled down anywhere, and they promised they never will again, not if they wanted the fire nation to attack them. It felt like a curse. It happened twice already so it could definitely happen a third time.

Currently, they were travelling down a beaten path to who knows where. They were surrounded by trees again, it was as if it were following them everywhere they go. Lotus had a travelling bag with her they got during their journey, as well as Sage, who got his from a generous shopkeeper. They were quite lucky honestly, many villages have welcomed them with open arms and offered many things in return for their help. They were almost like celebrities, but of course they could not stay long at all, so here they are now wandering about looking for the next town to help.

Soon enough, the silhouette of a small town came to view and they both perked up at the sight. Finally! A place to rest. Lotus eagerly signed that she wanted to try and cook something new for them, to which Sage replied with a chuckle. He signed back that he was excited to try it, food was the way to his heart after all. Lotus smiled back at this.

Everything was going to be okay.

Their peaceful moment was interrupted by some shouting in the distance. It was growing louder and louder, making Sage panic and look around to hear where it could be coming from. Lotus saw his expression change from happy to stressed in a matter of seconds. It worried her and she tapped him on the shoulder, signing at him asking what was going on.

“Oh dear sister, I’m glad you don’t have to hear this awful yelling...” Sage said to himself, unaware that Lotus could read lips fairly well by now. She heaved a sigh and demanded to know what is really happening. Before Sage could even hold a hand up to sign back, the person who was shouting suddenly appeared right behind Lotus and knocked her over.

“Oi, watch where you’re standing, girly! Can’t you hear a guy screaming to move out of the way?!” he said as he stood up, dusting himself off.

Sage took a mental note of that, now realizing that he really was shouting that out.

“Wait, hey! Why tell her to move when you can easily dodge her yourself!” Sage said in retaliation, defending his sister. He gave her a hand to help her up, giving the stranger the most deadliest glare he could muster. It didn’t make the other flinch.

“There are trees around and I didn’t want to get hit in the face by them. Plus, there was an angry mob behind me, but I guess I lost them somehow. Looking back and forth really helps y’know.” the guy replied. Sage could only huff in annoyance, turning to Lotus and signing to her asking if she’s alright. This made the stranger raise an eyebrow.

“The fuck are you doing? What’s all that hand stuff? You communicating in a secret language or something?” he asked rather rudely.

“Hey, watch your tongue there partner. It’s called ‘sign language’. Wouldn’t you like to know.” Sage replied, putting a protective arm in front of Lotus. Said girl looked between the two as they stared each other down, their gazes slowly turning more deadly as the seconds go by. Quickly, she put Sage’s arm down and walked up to the guy, bowing her head. This made him startle and Sage gasped, muttering something along the lines of ‘being betrayed’.

“Pfft whatever. You weirdos.” was all the guy said and he looked away in irritation.

“Why don’t you just go then, stranger? Leave us alone maybe?” Sage retorted, beginning to head off in the direction of the town. “Oh, also, my sister is deaf so that’s why we use our hands to communicate. Don’t call her weird again, you got that?” he added on before turning to walk again.

“Huh?! Wait, hold up-“ the guy looked towards Lotus who has yet to follow her brother and then began stammering, “Y-You’re deaf? Uh.. sorry about that - I mean. You can’t hear me. Shit. Well.”

Lotus simply smiled at him and nodded in understanding.

“And you! Get back here, I wasn’t done talking to ya! Dumbass!” the guy ran to catch up to Sage and grabbed his shirt, spinning him around. Sage looked very annoyed at this and was ready to throw hands before Lotus stopped him.

“Man, she’s silent and quick. Anyways. I need your help.” the guy said to them.

“Help?”

And on that day, the twins made a new ‘friend’ named Lykos, who escaped from the hands of the fire nation and wanted a new disguise to fit in with the rest of the earth benders. The amount of restraint needed for Sage to not immediately go for his neck is immeasurable. Thank god for Lotus.

They will be a strange trio indeed.


End file.
